Are you happy in your job, or the way your career has shaped up? If you have been in the same job for some time now and started to look out for newer options, you might be spending time these days thinking about your career path, specifically what you want to do next.

Interviewers ask various questions related to job skills and job(s) history; an equally important part of the interview are questions that probe the candidate’s future plans and career goals – “where do you see yourself five years from now?” or “what are your career goals?”

What the interviewer wants to know

From an employer’s perspective, knowing how you have outlined your career progression chart will give them an insight into why you are interested in the particular job opening, how it aligns with your career goals and your level of focus. The recruiter will keenly analyse how parallel the company’s objectives are with those of yours, and will hiring you lead to mutual growth.

How to prepare your answer

Though the objective statement in your resume outlines your aims, this question at interview stage calls for a more detailed explanation of the how you have worked on the same in the past and what you intend to do in future. Here’s how you can get your thought process working:

When you began your career – Fresh out of college, what were your aspirations? Ponder over the type of jobs you looked out for back then and your reasons behind them.

As your career progressed – What were the milestones in your career path in terms of important decisions taken, jobs changed, trainings undertaken and skills learnt? An assessment of the same will help you understand the motives that led to each step and in explaining the same to the interviewer.

Looking forward – Two frequently asked interview questions are –“why are you looking for a job change?” and “where do you see yourself five years from now?” Well, both indirectly assess your short-term and long-term career goals and allow interviewers to judge whether this job change is in sync with your career plans. Being clear about what you seek from every job move will build confidence in the interviewer’s mind about your commitment and drive, and hold your candidature on solid ground.

It is almost a ritual to be asked of any questions and query one might have to get on with the job offer. And mostly, we end up asking generic questions that don’t really matter, neither to work nor to convert the offer. Relevance, here, is the key.
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